North Carolina Indian Tribes

The following tribes at one time are recorded in history as having resided within the present state of North Carolina. If the tribe name is in bold, then North Carolina is the primary location known for this tribe, otherwise we provide the tribes specifics as it pertains to North Carolina and provide a link to the main tribal page if available.

Bear River Indians A body of Indians mentioned by Lawson and associated with Algonquian tribes. They may have been a part of the Machapunga. Rights (1947) calls them the Bear River or Bay River Indians. Lawson (1709) gives the name of their town as Raudauqua-quark and estimates the number of fighting at 50. Mooney (1928) places them with the Pamlico in his estimate as of the year 1600 and gives the two a population of 1,000. (See also California Indian Tribes for another tribe of the same name.)

Natchez Indians Part of the Natchez Indians sought refuge with and Cherokee after their tribe had been broken up by the French and most of them appear to have lived along Hiwassee River. They accompanied those Cherokee who moved to Oklahoma and settled on the western margin of the Cherokee Reservation, where a few of them retained their language long enough to have it recorded.

Occaneechi Indians When the Occaneechi lived on Roanoke River, Va., they probably ranged over into Warren, Halifax, and Northampton Counties, N. C. In 1701 they were in Orange County, N. C. (See Virginia.)